| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | ATA certification... pen and paper? Thread poster: jenbikkal (X)
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jenbikkal (X)
Local time: 01:32
French to English
+ ...
Hi,
I am currently enrolled in a T&I program and starting to look into getting certified at the ATA.
I know that I would have to go take the test at my local chapter... but does this mean that I will not have access to a computer, and that the test is hand-written?
I don't think I have hand-written anything since college; I have done all of my translation work so far on my computer which is also what I use as my dictionary (and for fact-checking with wiki... See more Hi,
I am currently enrolled in a T&I program and starting to look into getting certified at the ATA.
I know that I would have to go take the test at my local chapter... but does this mean that I will not have access to a computer, and that the test is hand-written?
I don't think I have hand-written anything since college; I have done all of my translation work so far on my computer which is also what I use as my dictionary (and for fact-checking with wikipedia, and find parallel texts on french websites...).
So, in sum, yeah...I would definitely need some practice beforehand. Could those of you that have taken the test tell me a bit more about it, so I know what to expect? Will they provide access to any books, encyclopedias, dictionaries? Do we have to bring our own? Can I bring a type-writer because my hand-writing is terrible? (ok I'm taking a little too far with that one, but seriously...I am worried about that too!) Any tips or techniques when translating on paper?
I know that they provide practice exams, but I am not a member yet (since I don't have my certification from school yet).
Thanks for all of your help!
-Jen
Ps: All of this makes me wonder...did translators live in libraries before the internet explosion?!
[Edited at 2011-05-10 21:33 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ashley Wans 
United States
Local time: 22:32
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Step 1: Check out the ATA site | May 11, 2011 |
The ATA site has a lot of information about the test. It is atanet.org.
I am not aware of any restriction that you must take the test at a "local chapter". I plan to go several states away to take the test in September. I know some people actually come from other countries to get certified.
Yes, it is all pen and paper. However, I know you are allowed to brin dictionaries.
Do read the ATA site thoroughly. It has all the information you need regarding e... See more The ATA site has a lot of information about the test. It is atanet.org.
I am not aware of any restriction that you must take the test at a "local chapter". I plan to go several states away to take the test in September. I know some people actually come from other countries to get certified.
Yes, it is all pen and paper. However, I know you are allowed to brin dictionaries.
Do read the ATA site thoroughly. It has all the information you need regarding eligibility, etc. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | It will take practice | May 11, 2011 |
Hi Jen,
I hope to take the test within the next 12 months or so, and I feel the same way as you. Maybe it will be a bit easier for me though because I went to university and worked as a translator for a while in the 1980s and early 1990s, so I do have experience of working without on-line resources. For admission to the translation program at UW-Milwaukee in 2009, I had to do a short translation on paper (using only dictionaries and a thesaurus) and write an essay. It wasn't so bad.... See more Hi Jen,
I hope to take the test within the next 12 months or so, and I feel the same way as you. Maybe it will be a bit easier for me though because I went to university and worked as a translator for a while in the 1980s and early 1990s, so I do have experience of working without on-line resources. For admission to the translation program at UW-Milwaukee in 2009, I had to do a short translation on paper (using only dictionaries and a thesaurus) and write an essay. It wasn't so bad.
The only advice I have is that when you do the practice tests, do them under the same conditions as the real test. That is what I plan to do. Also, why not join the ATA right away? There is so much you can learn as a member, and there is a very reasonable student rate for membership.
Best
Sarah ▲ Collapse
| | | | LEXpert
United States
Local time: 00:32
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
For now the exam must be handwritten on (generously wide-lined) paper that is provided in the exam packet (plenty of extra paper is available if you run out). You can't use a typewriter, unfortunately (and I imagine that the clattering it generates would not make you very popular in the exam room!). The exam is not held "at your local chapter" per se, but organized by your local chapter and held at an suitable venue, such as a hotel conference room or university classroom. You are of course free... See more For now the exam must be handwritten on (generously wide-lined) paper that is provided in the exam packet (plenty of extra paper is available if you run out). You can't use a typewriter, unfortunately (and I imagine that the clattering it generates would not make you very popular in the exam room!). The exam is not held "at your local chapter" per se, but organized by your local chapter and held at an suitable venue, such as a hotel conference room or university classroom. You are of course free to take the test at any exam sitting you like throughout the year, anywhere it is held (many people take it at the annual conference - Boston this year). You can bring any printed materials you like with you - dictionaries, notes, glossaries, etc., but no electronic resources.
If you join the ATA, you can order practice passages, which are graded and returned to you. These will give you a good idea about your chances of passing the exam. The price is quite reasonable ($50) compared to the exam itself.
A pilot program to provide a keyboarding option at certain venues is in progress but I am not sure of the rollout date.
[Edited at 2011-05-11 04:46 GMT]
[Edited at 2011-05-11 04:47 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| | | You can take it wherever you like | May 11, 2011 |
jenbikkal wrote:
I know that I would have to go take the test at my local chapter...
False. You can take the test wherever there is a venue. In my case, I live near Madrid and took the exam in Michigan.
jenbikkal wrote:
I know that they provide practice exams, but I am not a member yet (since I don't have my certification from school yet).
You can become a member without any certification from your school. I'd advise you to join already, get the practice papers, and do them in the same conditions of the exam.
| | | | jenbikkal (X)
Local time: 01:32
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks for the advice and links everyone. I'll go ahead and join the association.
By the way, I was not actually serious about the type-writer; I wouldn't even know where to go if I wanted one!
| | | | | I want one too! | May 11, 2011 |
jenbikkal wrote:
By the way, I was not actually serious about the type-writer; I wouldn't even know where to go if I wanted one!
Indeed I have thought about it many times! I had fun for hours on end with the typewriter when I was a kid (don't ask me what kind of experiments I ran), and would love to provide the same fun to my children today.
Good luck!
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LEXpert
United States
Local time: 00:32
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
| Tips for paper | May 11, 2011 |
jenbikkal wrote:
Any tips or techniques when translating on paper?
In addition to the excellent comments from Tomas and others:
1) Don't make your writing too condensed or tight, in case you have to insert a few words that you might have omitted. It's fine to use an insertion mark, circle something you've added with a leader to where you want it to go, or cross something out. There are no points for tidiness or penmanship, it just has to be legible (use block lettering if you want, just be sure do differentiate caps and lower case) and your intent regarding any edits/insertions/deletions has to be clear.
2) Ergonomics! Writing by hand for three hours is very tiring. Find good pencils with a cushy grip. I had a blister and cramps in my hand after my exam.
3) I've seen people write out an entire draft and then recopy it neatly. Complete waste of time IMHO (see no.1).
| | | | Steven Capsuto
United States
Local time: 01:32
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
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| The Misha
Local time: 01:32
Russian to English
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| Without prejudice to anything said here | May 12, 2011 |
about ATA and its exam administering ways, and seeing that you are based in the US, I would also like to bring it to your attention that ATA is nothing but a voluntary professional association in a country where our business is totally unregulated. ATA's stamp of approval is in no way a requirement for, nor a guarantee of success in your chosen professional endeavor. In fact, the return on the oft substantial investment in ATA-sponsored activities may vary hugely depending on your language pairs... See more about ATA and its exam administering ways, and seeing that you are based in the US, I would also like to bring it to your attention that ATA is nothing but a voluntary professional association in a country where our business is totally unregulated. ATA's stamp of approval is in no way a requirement for, nor a guarantee of success in your chosen professional endeavor. In fact, the return on the oft substantial investment in ATA-sponsored activities may vary hugely depending on your language pairs. In my own, the benefits of ATA association are, err, grossly exaggerated. What is way more important is one's actual professional qualifications, areas of specialization and business acumen.
Good luck either way. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Steven Capsuto
United States
Local time: 01:32
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
+ ...
The Misha wrote:
In my own, the benefits of ATA association are, err, grossly exaggerated. What is way more important is one's actual professional qualifications, areas of specialization and business acumen.
Really? This week alone I've been contacted by two clients who found me through the ATA directory and who specifically wanted an ATA-certified translator.
Getting my certifications did cost a chunk of change but I think they've paid for themselves.
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The Misha wrote:
about ATA and its exam administering ways, and seeing that you are based in the US, I would also like to bring it to your attention that ATA is nothing but a voluntary professional association in a country where our business is totally unregulated. ATA's stamp of approval is in no way a requirement for, nor a guarantee of success in your chosen professional endeavor.
Exactly. This is the reason why the ATA certification is so relevant.
The eligibility requirements and an examination with a low pass rate mean that if you have the certification, you have some good proof of your abilities. As it happens to Steven, I get plenty of job enquiries just because I am ATA-certified... and I don't even live in the US!
| | | | | In full agreement with Steven and Tomás | Jun 10, 2011 |
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote: The Misha wrote:
about ATA and its exam administering ways, and seeing that you are based in the US, I would also like to bring it to your attention that ATA is nothing but a voluntary professional association in a country where our business is totally unregulated. ATA's stamp of approval is in no way a requirement for, nor a guarantee of success in your chosen professional endeavor. Exactly. This is the reason why the ATA certification is so relevant. The eligibility requirements and an examination with a low pass rate mean that if you have the certification, you have some good proof of your abilities. As it happens to Steven, I get plenty of job enquiries just because I am ATA-certified... and I don't even live in the US!
I took and passed the ATA exam about 8 years ago, and I am a well-established legal translator. Not having a formal translation education, my ATA certification was essential. I should add that 90+% of my current clients first contacted me through an email that said: "We found your contact information at the ATA website..."
I may be a lawyer, but I would not have gone far as a translator without my ATA certification. Yearly, my return on my "ATA-membership investment" is, without exaggeration, 600 times my annual fee.
Luis
| | | | Neil Coffey
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:32
French to English
+ ...
| Consider it one string to your bow in certain cases? | Jun 11, 2011 |
I think (and I'm in that category of people that about this time every year considers whether I should become a member/take the exam of an institution wuch as the ATA) it depends a bit on your circumstances:
- passing the exam is ONE way of demonstrating your competence, along with other ways such as having satisfied clients, completing a successful test for a particular client, having other qualifications etc;
- the ATA directory is ONE method of advertising your services;... See more I think (and I'm in that category of people that about this time every year considers whether I should become a member/take the exam of an institution wuch as the ATA) it depends a bit on your circumstances:
- passing the exam is ONE way of demonstrating your competence, along with other ways such as having satisfied clients, completing a successful test for a particular client, having other qualifications etc;
- the ATA directory is ONE method of advertising your services;
- ATA (or other) membership can be a de facto qualification for doing a very restricted set of jobs (e.g. producing birth certificate translations accepted by immigration services).
On the other hand:
- I'm not dying to translate birth certificates;
- many clients have never heard of the ATA or other similar bodies;
- agencies have heard of them but may have their own test;
- despite any de facto status, the ATA and various other associations are essentially paid private associations and have no legal status as such (though of course it doesn't matter necessarily whether they do, but whether clients think they do...);
- an ATA (or similar) directory listing is a pretty feeble form of marketing *these days* when anybody can set up their own web site and people tend to search for services via Google etc not necessarily via a "directory";
- passing the ATA etc exam shows that you translated using pen and paper a short moderately general passage without access to Internet, colleagues, contacts and other resources... whereas in no real life situation will you actually be translating under those circumstances.
So I shall not be applying to the ATA/other institution at this time. Surely in a few months time I'll forget the above and go through the same mental process... and come to a similar conclusion...
[Edited at 2011-06-11 01:40 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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